Dry battery or battery with a solidified electrolyte



Sept. V'7

R. OPPENHEIM DRY BATTERY OR BATTERY WITH-A SOLIDIFIED ELECTROLYTE Filed Feb. 17, .1925

Lwltl Helm 0 ezziaaba Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

' UNITED sTAjrl-:s PATENT' OFFICE.

BEN'OPPENHEIM, or LEVALLOIS-PERRET, FRANCE, AssIGNon. 'ro SOCIETE ANONYME LE CARBONE, or LEVALLOIS-PERRET, FRANCE DRY BATTERY R BATTERY WITH A SOLIDIVFIED LECTROLYTE.

Application led February 17, 1925, Serial No. 9,844, and in France February 7, 1924.

Batteries as at present known employing an electrolyte in solid form, usually called dry batteries, are generally composed of a negative electrode, a positive electrode around which is rammed or compressed the depolarizing substance, and a gelatinous solidifying agent containing the electrolyte.

rl`he manufacture of these batteries requires a special stock of tools and very important khand labour, particularly for the agglomeration'of the depolarizing material, or for ensuringits contact with the positive electrode. Furthermore the interposition of the depolarizing substance between the positive electrode and the gelatinous solidifying agent necessarily occupies a certain volume which increases the amount 'of space occu-4 pied bythe battery. l

The present invention has for its object an improvement in this type of battery with the object of simplifying'its construction and .reducing ythe amount of space occupied thereby or leaving more room for the electrolytic composition;

in employing as the depolarizing substance, a porous powder'which vigorously absorbs the outer air,A and in suspending it in a co1-l loidal solidiying agent containing the electrolyte. The aste thus obtained is run the receptacle of t e battery after the twol electrodes, the positiveand negative ones, have been previously put in place. The battery \thus constructed in a very simple manner is ready for use.

B reason of the porosity of the particles of the depolarizing substance, each of these articles withdraws from the colloidal solidifying substance, with which itis in contact, a certain number of molecules-.of water of constitution, in' such a Way that there is formed around each particleof the depolarizing substance, a pectized film which 1s 1nfinitely thin and impermeable to liquids but permeableby gases. This depolarizlng particle is not therefore liable to be penetrated by the moisture of the solidifying substance and therefore retains all its absorbent and catalytic properties.

xUnder these conditions, the gases pro duced during the working ofl thebattery are immediately absorbed by these absorbvent particles distributed throughout the depolarizng substance.

the contact between the negative electrode This improvement consists .substantially `carbon provi Furthermore, the pectization of the colloidal solidifying agent around each porous depolarizing particle produces within the interior of this colloidal solidifying` substance a slight shrinkage the effect ofl which 1s to produce channels 1n the mass by which 60 the outer air can reach the'porous particles and keep up their depolarizing properties.

In order to prevent the battery from working when the circuit is open owing to and the particles of depolarizin substance invsuspension. it. is well to provi e this electrode with a layer of paper or felt impregnated with a solutionwhich is a good conductor of electricity and which does not attack the material of which the electrode is made. Y

By way of example there will now be de- 'scribed a manner of constructing a battery made according to the above process referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing which shows the battery 1n vertical section.

This battery is constituted in the following manner: f In a receptacle a of glass, wood covered with tarred canvas, ebonite, or the like are placed a lcircular negative electrode 'b of zinc covered over the whole of its surface with a jacket c of'absorbent paper strongly impregnated with a solution of chloride of zinc, and a dpositive electrode d of retort ed at its upper part witha terminal e. p

Into the interior of the receptacle a is runfthe gelatinous mass f containing the .electrolyte and the depolarizer.

This mass may be obtained in the fo1lowing manner:

water being added if necessary. The mass is allowed to cool down to about 30, degrees centigrade and the viscous .liquid thus obtained is poured on to about ei hteen kilogrammes of woodk charcoal in e powder. f There is thus obtained after prolonged 'pierce kneading, a very com act paste ready to be run into the receptac e a of above described.

The receptacle a is finally closed at its upper dpart by an insulating layer of v vax g With one, two -or more holes It which permit the access of air to the interior of the battery.

It is obvious that the method of manufac-4 ture above described is given by way of' example only ad that the. shape, the dimensions and the nature of the materials em? meedoen the battery as material, and immobilizi colloidal pectiz-` *.electrode, a positive electrode, an intimate mixture of porous owdered `wood carbon, an immobilzing colloidal pectizable ymaterial containing the electrolyte. .3. A dry battery comprising a zinc negativeelectrode, laf'jearbon v'positive electrode, andan electrolytc depolarizing mass comrising a. coagu um of flour containing a soution of ammonium chloride and a suspension of powdered wood carbon.

batteries or batteries with a solidified e ectrolyte, signed by me thisth day of February 1925.

REN AOPVPENHEIM.

Yg The .foregoing specification of my improvements in d 

